Key lock assembly for a pair of relatively movable members

ABSTRACT

The key lock assembly has a hollow elongated locking bar with expandible end sections receivable within corresponding facing key ways formed in adjacent surfaces of a pair of relatively movable members which are to be locked together. Located within the locking bar is an elongated connector member having linearly adjustable end members which on linear adjustment toward each other coact with the locking bar to expand the end sections thereof into frictional locking engagement with adjacent surfaces of the key ways.

United States Patent Bloomquist et al.

[451 July 25,1972

KEY LOCK ASSEMBLY FOR A PAIR OF RELATIVELY MOVABLE MEMBERS Evert V. Bloomquist; Gerald E. Bloomquist, both of P. O. Box 864, Wausau, Wis. 54401 Filed: April 29, 1970 Appl. No.: 32,829

Inventors:

U.S.'Cl ..287/52.05, 146/123 Int. Cl ..F16d 1/06 Field ofSearch ..l46/l 17-123;

287/5205, 53 LK, 20 P; 85/67 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1968 Staley ..287/52.05 10/1950 Beijl ..85/67 3,432,214 3/1969 Cashman et al. ..85/67 1,816,552 7/1931 Trusler ..287/52.05

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 69,821 9/1915 Switzerland ..287/20 P Primary ExaminerAndrew V. Kundrat AtmrneyRudolph L. Lowell [57] ABSTRACT 1 Claim, 8 Drawing Figures 42 35 /y33 I //i /4 Z5 [Z 17 KEY LOCK ASSEMBLY FOR A PAIR OF RELATIVELY MOVABLE MEMBERS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The key lock assembly is of a compact and simple construction and capable of being easily installed and then readily adjusted to perform its locking function. The assembly is of an elongated construction, the end portions of which are expanded into a wedged frictional engagement with longitudinally spaced portions of the pair of members being locked together. The locking action is applied in four directions spaced ninety degrees apart so that the pair of members are rigidly secured against relative lateral and longitudinal movements. Adjustment of the key lock assembly into locking position can be made from either or both ends thereof so that the assembly can be located within the longitudinal confines of the members to be secured. This adjustment feature provides for the use of a pair of key lock assemblies for members that are at least twice the length of a key lock assembly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG 1 is a front perspective view of material cutting machine showing the use of the key lock assembly of this invention for securing a knife member to the cylindrical body member of a rotatable cutter head;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view as seen on line 2 2 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3 3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the key lock assembly showing the assembly relative to the cutter head of the material cutting machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view, illustrated similarly to FIG. 3, showing the use ofa pair of the key lock assemblies of this invention with a cutter head of a length equal to at least twice the length ofone of the key lock assemblies;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a modified locking bar that forms part of the key lock assembly, and

FIGS. 7 and 8 are transverse sectional views of a cutter head showing a key lock assembly with the locking bar of FIG. 6 in changed positions.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. I of the drawing, there is shown a material cutting machine 10 for slicing or severing solid or frozen foods, which includes a floor supported housing 11 for enclosing a drive motor (not shown) having a manual control switch 12. The drive motor has a drive shaft 13 which carries a rotor or cutting head 14 that is rotatable in a counterclockwise direction as seen in FIG. 1. The upper peripheral portion of the cutter head 14 is covered by a shield member 16, the upper end of which is provided with an inlet 17 through which the solid food material to be cut is fed into the rotating cutter head 14. The cut material is discharged from the lower portion of the cutter head into a suitable receptacle or container (not shown).

The cutter head 14 (FIGS. 1 and 4) includes a cylindrical body member 18 that is formed with a pair of diametrically opposite material receiving slots or cavities 19. Each cavity extends axially of the body member 18 and is of a generally hook or .l-shape transversely of the body member 18. A cavity 19 is of a circumferential length and of a radial depth sufficient to receive therein the cut material that is severed by the cutter head.

The trailinG wall 20 of a cavity 19 is formed with a chord extending knife receiving pocket 21 that is of a generallyrectangular shape transversely of the cylindrical body member 18. A pocket 21 is coextensive in length with the body member 18 and is open at the opposite ends of the body member A knife member 22 of a shape in transverse cross section corresponding to the transverse shape of a knife receiving pocket 21, has a key way 23 formed inone side thereof. This key way 23 is arranged so as to be located opposite from and in a facing relation with a corresponding key way 24 formed in a side wall of a pocket 21 when a knife member 22 is positioned within the pocket.

As shOwn in FIGS. 2 and 4, a knife member 22 has an axially extended cutting portion 26 projected outwardly from the peripheral surface of the body member 18 and formed with a lower surface having a curved shape that corresponds to and is continuous with the curved side wall of an associated cavity or slot 19. Each knife member 22 is rigidly locked or secured to the body member 18 by a corresponding key lock assembly 27 of this invention.

A key lock assembly 27 (FIGS. 3 and 4) includes an elongated locking bar 29 of a square shape in transverse cross section having an axially extended bore 31. Each end section 32 of the bar 29 is transversely expandible by the provision of slots 33 formed in the side surfaces and open to the bore 31. Pairs of the slots 33 (FIG. 4) are arranged opposite each other so as to form a plurality of longitudinally extended like resilient corner fingers 34 at each end section 32 of the locking bar 29.

Positioned within the bore 31 of the locking bar 29 is an elongated connector or center member 36 of a tubular construction having the opposite end portions 37 thereof internally threaded. Each end portion 37 is associated with an adjustable end member 38 or 39 each of which has a tapered head section 41 and a threaded shank 42 for threadable engagement within an associated end portion 37 to provide for the adjustment of an end member longitudinally of the connector member. The connector member 36 and the end members 38 and 39 thus constitute a linearly extendible and retractable unit.

The side wall of the bore 31 (FIG. 3) in the locking bar 29 has tapered end sections 40 corresponding to the tapered head sections 41 of the end members 38 and 39. With connector member 36 positioned within the bore 31 the end members 38 and 39, on threaded movement axially of the connector member toward each other are moved into a mating engagement with the tapered end sections 40 or the bore 31. On a continued axial movement of the endmembers 38 and 39 within the bore 31 the fingers 34 of the locking bar 29 are concurrently expanded or moved laterally outwardly from the locking bar.

In the use ofa key lock assembly 27 (FIG. 4) the locking bar 29 is inserted within the facing key ways 23 and 24 of a knife member 22 and the body member 18 respectively. In other words, the corresponding key ways 23 and 24 form a single bore that extends longitudinally of the body member 18. The connector member 36 is then positioned within the bore 31 of the locking bar 29 after which the end members 38 and 39 are assembled in threaded engagement within the end portions 37 of the connector member. In this respect it is to be noted that the head section 41 of the end member 38 terminates in a cap 43 of a square shape in transverse section corresponding to the transverse shape of the bore formed by corresponding key ways 23 and 24. When the cap 43 is arranged within the key ways 23 and 24, the end member 38 is locked against rotational movement relative to the connector member 36. However, it will be noted that the connector member may then be rotated relative to the end member 38 to provide for the retraction of the head section 41 of the end member 38 within a corresponding end section 32 of the locking bar 29. For such retraction of the end member 38 the head section 41 of the end member 39 is formed in the end thereof with a socket 44 adapted for operative association with a Phillips screw driver or the like.

With a key lock assembly 27 thus positioned or fitted within corresponding key ways 23 and 24, the screwing of the end members 38 and 39 within the connector member 6 moves the end members within the tapered end sections 42 of the bore 31. This concurrent adjustment of the end members 38 and 39 toward each other can also take place by adjustment only of the end member 39, when the cap 43 of the end member 38 is held against rotation by coacting engagement with the side walls of the key ways 23 and 24.

As a result of this retraction of the tapered head members 38 and 39 within corresponding end sections 32 of the locking bar 29 diagonally opposite ones of the resilient fingers 34 are expanded or moved into frictional locking engagement with the adjacent corner surfaces of corresponding key ways 23 and 24. The expanded fingers 34 thus function to rigidly wedge a knife member 22 within a corresponding pocket 21 against both axial or transverse movement relative to the body member 18.

Importantly, it is to be noted that his locking action occurs at each end of the key lock assembly 27 so that a knife member 22 is rigidly secured to the body member 18 at each of the ends thereof. Additionally, it will be seen that the peripheral surface of the body member 18 is free of any obstructing bolts or holes. To remove a key lock assembly 27 from its locking position it is only necessary to reverse the above described procedure for its assembly with the cutter head 14.

On removal of a connector member 36 and end members 38 and 39, it sometimes happens that a locking bar 29 may have become bonded with the side surfaces of the key ways 23 and 24 so as to resist ready removal therefrom. For this purpose the locking bar 29 at the end thereof associated with the end member 39 has the bore section 32 formed with a threaded tapered portion 46 for threaded engagement with a pulling bolt (not shown). A pulling action on the locking bar 29 can thus be readily applied.

In those cases where a cutter head may have an axial length of two orv more times greater than the axial length of a key lock assembly 27, two of such assemblies may be arranGed in series within the mating key ways 23a and 240 as illustrated for the cutter head 14a in FIG. 5. In this arrangement the end members 38 are located in a facing relation within the key ways 23a and 24a so as to be locked against rotation by the caps 43. By virtue of this arrangement the end members 39 are each accessible for adjustment from opposite ends of the cutter head 14a. The key lock assemblies 27 on expansion of the fingers 34 thereofinto locking engagement with the adjacent side surfaces of the mating key ways 23a and 24a positively lock and secure the knife member 22a against axial and transverse movement relative to the cylindrical body member 18a. Again it will be noted that the locking action takes place at longitudinally spaced portions of a knife member 22a, namely, at each end of the pair of key lock assemblies 27.

In some cases it may be desirable to adjust the knife members (FIGS. 7 and 8) transversely F their associated receiving pockets. For this purpose akey lock assembly 27a (FIG. 6) is provided which is similar in all respects to a key lock assembly 27 except for a locking bar 29a that has a pair of diagonally opposite laterally projected extensions 47 which extend longitudinally the full length of the locking bar 29a. To receive the locking bar 29a, the corresponding key ways 23b and 24b formed in the pocket 21 and knife member 22b respectively, are relatively arranged so as to be laterally ofi'set to form a single bore having a transverse cross section of a shape corresponding to the cross sectional shape of the locking bar 29a.

As clearly appears in FIGS. 7 and 8, a knife member 22b is movable within its receiving pocket 21b so that the key way 23b therein may be offset from either of the side walls of the key way 24b. Thus, regardless of the adjusted offset relation between the key ways 23b and 24b the locking bar 29a is received therein, with the end members 38 and 39 arranged so that the end member 39 is always accessible from an end of the cutter head 14b. In this respect it will be noted that the cap 43 on the end member 38 will continue its function of retaining the end member 38 against rotation relative to the connector member 36.

Although a key lock assembly has been described relative to its use in locking a cutting knife in a fixed position within a cutter head, it is not limited to such application and may be utilized to securely lock the body member of a cutter head to the cutter head drive shaft, such as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 for the cutter head 14 and drive shaft 13. The key lock assembly 48 is similar in all respects to the key lock assembly 27 except for being of a reduced size.

We claim:

1. A key lock assembly for securing together a pair of relatively movable longitudinally extended members one of which members is positionable within a longitudinal receiving bore formed in the other of said members, and wherein said one member has a key way therein arranged opposite a corresponding key way in the other member to form a single bore extended parallel to said receiving bore, said assembly comprising:

a. an elongated body member having a passage means extended longitudinally therethrough, said body member having a shape in transverse cross section conforming to the transverse cross sectional shape of said single bore for insertion therein, said passage means having inwardly tapered end sections, and

b. means for expanding said finger portions into frictionally locked bearing engagement with corresponding side surfaces ofsaid single bore including an elongated connector member positioned within said passage means with the ends thereof spaced inwardly from corresponding ends of the passage means, and

a tapered end member conforming to and positioned within each tapered end section, each end member threadably engaged with an adjacent end of said connector member for adjustment longitudinally of a corresponding tapered end section in response to a rotation of one of said end members, and d. one of said end members has a head portion projected longitudinally outwardly from said body member of a shape in transverse section corresponding to the transverse cross sectional shape of said single bore for reception therein, e. said body member has a center section of a longitudinal length greater than the longitudinal length of a finger portion, and a tapered end section has a longitudinal length less than the longitudinal length of a finger portion. 

1. A key lock assembly for securing together a pair of relatively movable longitudinally extended members one of which members is positionable within a longitudinal receiving bore formed in the other of said members, and wherein said one member has a key way therein arranged opposite a corresponding key way in the other member to form a single bore extended parallel to said receiving bore, said assembly comprising: a. an elongated body member having a passage means extended longitudinally therethrough, said body member having a shape in transverse cross section conforming to the transverse cross sectional shape of said single bore for insertion therein, said passage means having inwardly tapered end sections, and b. means for expanding said finger portions into frictionally locked bearing engagement with corresponding side surfaces of said single bore including an elongated connector member positioned within said passage means with the ends thereof spaced inwardly from corresponding ends of the passage means, and c. a tapered end member conforming to and positioned within each tapered end section, each end member threadably engaged with an adjacent end of said connector member for adjustment longitudinally of a corresponding tapered end section in response to a rotation of one of said end members, and d. one of said end members has a head portion projected longitudinally outwardly from said body member of a shape in transverse section corresponding to the transverse cross sectional shape of said single bore for reception therein, e. said body member has a center section of a longitudinal length greater than the longitudinal length of a finger portion, and f. a tapered end section has a longitudinal length less than the longitudinal length of a finger portion. 